If you recognize it, I don't own it.

4. Not a born fighter

The jingling of the metal hoops was the thing that made Sen look up while she was practicing with Koji. She was getting better by day with the butterfly knifes Koji had given her, but still, she didn't really feel at home using the weapons. Her lack of attention resulted in painful landing as Koji pushed her down.

"Owww.." Sen moaned and rubbed her side. "No fair, I wasn't looking!"

"Yeah well, tell that to the next guy who's gonna kill ya.." Koji snickered as he held out a hand to help her up. She accepted the help grudgingly. He was right of course, but it didn't make it any less painful.

"I think these are not my weapons though." She said for the umpteenth time and sighed as she looked at the knifes. Beautiful craftsmanship, but they were too heavy for her.

"Yer too weak for a sword." He answered.

"But.."

"No buts, no sword."

"Fine! I never said I wanted one in the first place..."

"You know he is right, no da. You are too weak for a sword." Said a cheerful voice.

"Huh?" Sen turned to look to her right, and as she expected, saw Chichiri smiling down at her.

The knifes clattered to the ground as she reached her hand and slapped him hard on the face. He dodged the hit but still found himself lying on the ground with a very furious girl standing on top of him, holding him down with her foot.

"I see you're all healed up, no da." The cheerful tone didn't change, he still smiled that cat like smile of his. For a second Sen was going to just forgive him, but then she remembered how lonely she had been for the last few days. Lonely and scared.

"Where the Hell have you been?" She snarled, baring her teeth like a wolf.

"I think I'll just go now..." Koji backed away form the couple, but they didn't notice him.

………………………………...

They stared at each other. The girl gave up first and removed her foot form the mans chest. He sat up, but didn't stand up. She sighed and gathered her knifes from the ground, gently wiping the dust away form the steel. Even if she didn't like using them, they were still very valuable items.

"So, where were you?" She finally asked.

"I went to see an old friend, no da." He answered.

"I see." She nearly smiled, it didn't reach her eyes. "Did you ever stop to wonder if it would be a good idea to tell people when you leave them so they won't worry about you?"

"I.." He was surprised. "I told Tasuki-kun where I was going, no da. You did not ask him?"

Sen silently cursed, casting her eyes down. I should have asked, I should have! Stupid! She fidgeted her knives for a while before turning to face him.

"I didn't want to hear that you had abandoned me here, I guess.. Not that I care or anything..." She could hear the blood rushing to her face. This was so not like her, she wasn't used to being embarrassed and it made her angry. I'm an I-D-I-O-T! Her mind screamed. But it didn't help the blushing. What am I going to do?

To her utter dismay, she heard him chuckle softly.

"What? What's so funny?"

"You are, no da. You remind me of someone I haven't seen in a long time, no da. Not since Nuriko died."

"Nuriko?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. "Who's Nuriko?" Curiosity, cat, killed! Her mind screamed, but it was ignored, as usual.

………………………………...

"I heard ya talking to the girl." Tasuki started when Chichiri opened his door. The bandit was leaning on to the window. He didn't look at the monk. "Ya talked about Nuriko." Somehow it sounded like an accusation.

"I talk about him with other people, yes. I talk about all of them, no da." The monk said, taking of his mask. Somehow he knew this was going to be one long afternoon.

"Yeah well, ya never talk to me.." the redhead sulked.

"That's because you never..."

"It doesn't matter." The redhead stopped him. "So what did the old hag say? Is the girl from Miaka's world?"

Chichiri sighed, It wasn't the first time Tasuki had done this. The redhead had a very unhealthy way to pile things up inside and then explode at the worst time possible. And yes, there was no love between the oracle and the bandit. That's the main reason why Chichiri had gone alone. It was time and energy consuming trying to keep Tasuki out of trouble. And it usually didn't work anyway.

"Yes, she is, but she's not a miko."

"Huh? Then how did she get here? I thought one needs to have celestial blood or some shit to travel between the worlds.."

"Wow, you actually have been listening to me?"

"Hey! I'm not a complete idiot, ya know. I have my good days." The bandit smirked. "look, the girl can stay. I know Koji likes to have her around, but I don't wanna see her alone in the corridors. This is, after all, a bandit fortress."

"What do you mean alone in the corridors?"

"She didn't tell ya?"

"Tell me what, no da?"

………………………………...

"What the Hell were you thinking? Alone, at night in a bandit fortress, injured and DRUNK? Do you have any idea what could have happened if Koji hadn't found you? Do you?"

"I..."

"You could have been killed! Have you no instinct of self preservation!"

"But.."

"You could have been raped!"

"Did you notice you dropped the no da.. ?"

"Well no freaking da!" Chichiri slumped against the wall. He was spent. He leaned his head to his hands. How could the girl be so incautious? What if something had really happened, what would have he done? He was the one who left her here in the first place. Suzaku, I'm so tired..

"I'm sorry." Sen stood next to her bed, not really knowing what to do. Her head told her he was right and she had acted like an idiot, but her heart screamed bloody murder, it's his fault. She couldn't decide which to listen so she just stood her ground.

"Look." He whispered after a while of silence. "I'm not angry at you, no da. I just worry, no da." He looked up to see her surprised look. Then she smiled. A small smile, but still, it made him feel better. She wasn't mad at him for yelling.

"I know." She kneeled in front of him. "I know."

………………………………...

He woke up hours later. He was still sitting on the floor, but someone had covered him with a blanket. Sen was no where to be seen. Something about the sun made him turn his head to the window. And then he noticed her, sitting on the windowsill. Her eyes were closed and it looked like she was sleeping too.

"Not the best place to fall asleep, no da." He sighed as he got up. "Silly girl."

"I'm not asleep." Came the reply.

"Daaa..." He stopped dead on his track. "I thought you were, no da."

"What? Asleep, or silly?"

"Both, no da."

Sen opened her eyes, the evening sun was making it hard to see what color they were. But he knew they were blue. Had he not known he would have said they were hazel. Blazing hazel. He would know that color anywhere. It was just like Tasuki's.

"What? I have something on my face?" She asked.

"Daa.. No." He smiled. "I think we need to discuss about your situation. I know I should have done this earlier, but somehow you managed to dodge all my efforts, no da."

"My situation?"

"Yes, no da. Like, do you know where you are, no da? Or why you are here, no da?"

"Not in Kansas anymore that's for sure..." She muttered. "Look, I know I'm not in my world anymore. I think it has something to do with this book I had, the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho." She shrugged her shoulders.

"You figured that out all by yourself, no da?" He was genuinely surprised. Sen pulled her feet away, making him roon to sit down next to her.

"Hey! I'm not a complete idiot, you know. I have my good days." She smirked.

"Daa.. I never had any doubts, no da." He chuckled.

"So, Koji has been teaching you how to fight with butterfly knifes, no da?"

"Yeah. He tried to teach me how to ride a horse too, but I don't mix with animals very well. Animals and small kids that is, they find me scary I guess." She made a face. "But I dunno. The knives just don't feel right."

"Too heavy, no da?" He asked, pondering were his kasa and staff were. He saw them in the corner of the room and went to retrieve them.

"I guess. My wrists are quit fragile, and I am a girl, mind you. Sharp objects scare me." She tried to suppress the giggle that surfaced as he reached in to his kasa. "How the Hell do you do that?"

"Magic, no da." He answered smiling, as he pulled out a bamboo fan. "This should do nicely, no da."

"Huh?"

………………………………...

Sen held the bamboo fan in front of her face. Why had Chichiri given her this thing. Sure, it was pretty and all, but he had said that she should learn how to use it.

"To use a bamboo fan?" What was that all about? I didn't make sense to her. "It's a bloody fan, not a weapon.."

There was a knock on her door.

"Yeah?" She called, flipping the fan shut.

"Excuse me. Who is it? It's the master chef, Koji, who came to show the lady his finest works. Well then you're very welcome. Please come in. Thank you."

"Whatte hell?" She stared as Koji kicked the door open. He had a tray full of food on the other hand and a promising looking bottle on the other. "..Was that all about?"

"Never mind." The bandit smirked. "I come baring gifts."

"So I see." She smiled and pushed the fan to her sarong. A motion that didn't go unnoticed by the bandit. He set the tray down on to the dressing table and reached out for the fan. She slapped his hand away. "No."

"Geez, I was just curious" He huffed. "So, the monk did give ya a new weapon."

"Weapon?" She was gathering food to her plate.

"The fan. I guess ya need to get Genro to help ya from now on then." He opened the bottle, and as she had guessed, the sweet smell of alcohol lingered to the room.

"This is a weapon?" She pulled the fan out of her sarong. "But.. But it's made out of wood."

"So?"

"It's fragile." She stated matter of factly, while holding out a cup for the sake.

"So are ya." He smiled and poured her a full cup. "Look, the fan is actually quite impressive weapon if ya know how to use it."

"Oh." She was all ready finishing her food. "Do you know how to use it then?"

"Me?"

"No, I mean the other bandit in the room. Of course you!"

"Well, sure I know how to use one." He leaned his back to the wall. "But I'm far better with 'sharp things'." He grinned at the face she made.

"You heard that?" She groaned.

"Oh yeah.."

………………………………...

TBC

Yeaaap…

Ok, first, Chichiri is not saying Sen's like Nuriko. He says she reminds him of someone he hasn't seen in a long time. Not since Nuriko died. He's referring to Tasuki the way he used to be before his friends started to die.

Second, she's a girl. She can't fight. She's scared of sharp objects, get over it.

Third, Thank You for all who have reviewed!